NSF Grants.Gov Application Guide
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THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION GUIDE A Guide for Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov NSF 20-089 Effective June 1, 2020 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Grants.gov Application Guide A Guide for Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov June 1, 2020 SUMMARY OF CHANGES AND CLARIFICATIONS Effective for applications submitted, or due, on or after June 1, 2020 Overall Document, The Grants.gov Application Guide has been updated to align with changes to NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1). Editorial changes have been made throughout to either clarify or enhance the intended meaning of a sentence or section. The Guide also has been updated to ensure consistency with data contained in NSF systems or guidance located in other NSF or Federal policy documents. Website and document references have been updated to reflect current information. Chapter VI, NSF-Specific Forms and Instructions, Section 1.9, RAPID, EAGER, RAISE – Program Officer Concurrence Emails, has been supplemented with information on the requirement that RAPID and EAGER applications must include, as supplementary documentation, an email from a cognizant NSF Program Officer confirming approval to submit a RAPID or EAGER application. Chapter VI, NSF-Specific Forms and Instructions, Sections 2.2 and 2.6, Biographical Sketches, have been modified to require use of an NSF-approved format in submission of the biographical sketch. NSF will only accept PDFs that are generated through use of an NSF-approved format. Chapter VI, NSF-Specific Forms and Instructions, Sections 2.3 and 2.7, Current and Pending Support, have been modified to require use of an NSF-approved format in submission of current and pending support information. NSF will only accept PDFs that are generated through use of an NSF-approved format. The requirement to use an NSF-approved format for preparation of the biographical sketch and current and pending support will go into effect for new applications submitted or due on or after October 5, 2020. In the interim, applicants must continue to prepare these documents in accordance with the guidance specified in the PAPPG (NSF 20-1). 2 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Grants.gov Application Guide A Guide for Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov June 1, 2020 Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................6 1. BACKGROUND ..........................................................................................................................6 2. PURPOSE AND SCOPE ..............................................................................................................6 3. INTENDED AUDIENCE ................................................................................................................6 4. SYMBOLS ................................................................................................................................6 5. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS ......................................................................................................7 5.1 NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) ..............................7 5.2 Grants.gov Online User Guide .................................................................................7 II. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION VIA GRANTS.GOV .............................................8 1. REGISTRATION PROCESS .........................................................................................................8 2. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................. 8 2.1 Adobe Reader ...........................................................................................................8 III. NSF-SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION VIA GRANTS.GOV ......................................9 1. NSF’S IMPLEMENTATION OF GRANTS.GOV .................................................................................9 2. COMPONENTS OF AN NSF APPLICATION....................................................................................9 3. CONFORMANCE WITH APPLICATION PREPARATION REQUIREMENTS .............................................9 3.1 Portable Document Format (PDF) ............................................................................9 3.2 Creating PDF Files ................................................................................................. 10 4. SUBMISSION OF SAME APPLICATION TO MULTIPLE AGENCIES.................................................... 11 5. SUBMISSION FOR REVIEW BY MULTIPLE PROGRAMS WITHIN NSF............................................... 11 6. NEXT STEPS – POST SUBMISSION TO GRANTS.GOV ................................................................................... 11 6.1 Grants.gov Contact Center ..................................................................................... 12 6.2 NSF IT Help Central ............................................................................................... 12 6.3 NSF Research.gov and FastLane Systems ........................................................... 12 6.4 Warning Messages ................................................................................................. 13 IV. GRANT APPLICATION PACKAGE INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................... 14 1. GRANT APPLICATION PACKAGE ............................................................................................... 14 1.1 Verify Grant Information ......................................................................................... 14 1.2 Enter a Name for the Application ........................................................................... 14 1.3 Open and Complete Mandatory Documents .......................................................... 14 1.4 Open and Complete Optional Documents .............................................................. 14 1.5 Navigating the Forms ............................................................................................. 15 1.6 Attachments ............................................................................................................ 15 1.7 Displaying Help Tips ............................................................................................... 16 1.8 Saving the Application ............................................................................................................................. 16 1.9 Check Package for Errors ...................................................................................... 16 1.10 Submitting the Application ...................................................................................... 16 V. RESEARCH AND RELATED (R&R) FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS ............................................ 18 1. OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................. 18 2. SF 424 (R&R) (COVER SHEET) .............................................................................................. 18 2.1 Enter a Type of Submission (Field 1 on the Form) ................................................. 18 2.2 Enter Date Submitted (Field 2 on the Form)........................................................... 18 2.3 Enter Date Received by State (Field 3 on the Form) ............................................. 19 2.4.a Federal Identifier (Field 4.a on the Form) ............................................................... 19 2.4.b Agency Routing Number (Field 4.b on the Form) ................................................... 19 2.4.c Previous Grants.gov Tracking ID (Field 4.c on the Form) ...................................... 19 2.5 Enter Applicant Information (Field 5 on the Form) ................................................. 19 2.6 Enter Employer Identification (EIN) or (TIN) (Field 6 on the Form) ........................ 20 2.7 Enter Type of Applicant (Field 7 on the Form) ....................................................... 21 3 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Grants.gov Application Guide A Guide for Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov June 1, 2020 2.8 Select Type of Application (Field 8 on the Form) ................................................... 21 2.9 Enter Name of Federal Agency (Field 9 on the Form) ........................................... 21 2.10 Enter Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (Field 10 on the Form) ...................................................................................................................... 21 2.11 Enter Descriptive Title of Applicant's Project (Field 11 on the Form) ..................... 21 2.12 Enter Proposed Project (Field 12 on the Form) ...................................................... 22 2.13 Enter Congressional District of Applicant (Field 13 on the Form) .......................... 22 2.14 Enter Project Director/Principal Investigator Contact Information (Field 14 on the Form) ............................................................................................ 22 2.15 Enter Estimated Project Funding (Field 15 on the Form) ....................................... 23 2.16 Is Application Subject to Review by State Executive Order 12372 Process? (Field 16 on the Form) ............................................................................................ 23 2.17 Complete Certification